Monsoon and Agricultural Impact
India experienced a favorable southwest monsoon, with cumulative rainfall during June-August at 6.1% above average. The monsoon was well-distributed, with 33 out of 36 meteorological subdivisions receiving normal rainfall, except Bihar, Assam & Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh.
Kharif Crop Sowing
- Farmers planted more area under kharif crops due to timely monsoon.
- Rice sowing increased by 7.6% to 420.4 lakh hectares compared to the previous year.
- Maize acreage rose by 11.7%, from 83.6 lakh hectares to 93.3 lakh hectares.
Fertilizer Demand and Supply
Good monsoon conditions led to increased fertilizer demand, with significant sales growth during April-July 2025.
- Double-digit sales growth in urea, single super phosphate (SSP), muriate of potash (MOP), and complex fertilizers.
- Notable decline in diammonium phosphate (DAP) sales by 12.8% due to substitution with SSP and others.
Fertilizer Production and Imports
- Domestic production of urea decreased from 102.1 lt to 93.6 lt during April-July 2025.
- DAP output remained flat at 13.7 lt, while production of NPKS complexes and SSP increased.
- Decline in imports of urea and DAP, leading to stock depletion.
Recommendations for Fertilizer Usage
- Promote replacement of urea with ammonium sulphate, which has 20.5% N and 23% S content.
- Restrict DAP use to paddy and wheat, encouraging complexes for other crops.